In an effort to decrease the number of fatalities and injuries involving unrestrained occupants on Indiana roadways, the Clark County Traffic Safety Partnership (CCTSP) and the Clark County DUI Taskforce officers recently announced their participation in the statewide Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization. This mobilization will include the Indiana State Police and more than 250 local law enforcement agencies throughout the state.
Indiana’s 2009 Click It or Ticket effort will take place from May 15 to May 31, covering the highly traveled Memorial Day holiday. With an emphasis on urging more motorists to buckle up day and night, officers will be on the look out for unrestrained motorists around the clock.
“Research shows that fewer people buckle up at night, which increases the risk of a being killed or injured in a crash,” said Donald Ross Jr., CCTSP Coordinator and the Clark County DUI Taskforce Coordinator. “Through high-visibility enforcement efforts, Sellersburg Police Department officers will work overtime hours to ensure that all drivers and passengers in the Hoosier state buckle up around the clock- every trip, every time or they will pay a fine.”
According to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI), a vehicle driver was 37.5 times more likely to have been killed if unrestrained then a driver who was restrained in 2007. A total of 898 people were killed in traffic crashes on Indiana roadways in 2007. More than 43 percent of those killed in passenger vehicles were unrestrained.
“The goal of the Click It or Ticket mobilization is to increase the percentage of the population wearing seatbelts, as seat belts clearly save lives. Motorists who travel unrestrained are more likely to be ejected from the vehicle and suffer a fatal injury," said Ross, who is also the Deputy Chief of the Sellersburg Police Department.
While officers will be on the look out for all unrestrained motorists during the enforcement, there will be a specific focus on pickup trucks. According to ICJI, pickup truck drivers and passengers have the lowest seat belt usage rate among all vehicle types in the state. In 2007, pickups accounted for 19 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal collisions. Of the pickup truck occupants killed that year, only 28 percent were known to be restrained.
“Although many Hoosiers are aware of the importance of wearing seat belts, there are some motorists that need a tough reminder. So Clark County Traffic Safety Partnership and the Clark County DUI Taskforce officers will be out in force, day and night, buckling down on those who are not buckled up,” Ross continued. “Click It or Ticket is not just a slogan, it’s a reality.”
Click It or Ticket is a statewide enforcement effort that is supported by federal funding allocated to Clark County Traffic Safety Partnership and the Clark County DUI Taskforce from the Traffic Safety division of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI). Indiana’s enforcement mobilization is reinforced by a paid statewide advertising buy combined with targeted public outreach efforts to comprehensively promote the life-saving benefits of regular seat belt use to all motorists.